Media/Policy Watch

Media/Policy Watch
This watch section is intended to alert readers to substantive news, analysis and opinion from the general media and selected think tanks and similar organizations on vaccines, immunization, global public health and related themes. Media Watch is not intended to be exhaustive, but indicative of themes and issues CVEP is actively tracking. This section will grow from an initial base of newspapers, magazines and blog sources, and is segregated from Journal Watch above which scans the peer-reviewed journal ecology.

We acknowledge the Western/Northern bias in this initial selection of titles and invite suggestions for expanded coverage. We are conservative in our outlook in adding news sources which largely report on primary content we are already covering above. Many electronic media sources have tiered, fee-based subscription models for access. We will provide full-text where content is published without restriction, but most publications require registration and some subscription level.

Nigeria meningitis: Vaccine cost cripples response to outbreak
3 April 2017
Nigeria does not have enough vaccine doses to deal with a deadly meningitis outbreak because they are too expensive, a senior official has said.
Each vaccine dose costs $50, and only 500,000 doses are currently available, Dr Chikuwe Ihekuwazu, head of Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control said.
The outbreak which is said to be spreading rapidly has already killed more than 300 people.
It is the worst to hit Nigeria since 2009 when it killed 156 people…

The Guardianhttp://www.guardiannews.com/
Accessed 8 April 2017Unvaccinated children would be barred from childcare in NSW under new proposalsLabor opposition leader Luke Foley says legislation intends to stop specialist anti-vaccination childcare centres being set up
Australian Associated PressSaturday 1 April 2017 22.19 EDT Last modified on Sunday 2 April 2017 00.27 EDT
Parents who oppose vaccinations on conscientious grounds won’t allowed to enrol their children at New South Wales childcare centres under legislation to be introduced by the state opposition.
The state’s Labor leader, Luke Foley, announced the policy on Sunday and said the legislation, set to be introduced this week, would plug the loophole which had allowed specialist anti-vaccination childcare centres to be set up.
The changes won’t affect children who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons, such as a specialised cancer treatment.
“We need to be encouraging vaccinations not discouraging them,” Foley said in a statement. “Vaccinations are the only way to protect against serious diseases like polio, mumps, whooping cough, meningococcal, diphtheria and tetanus.”…

DOJ: For Decade, Sanofi Vaccine Unit Overcharged VA on Meds
The vaccines unit of French pharmaceutical company Sanofi SA will pay a $19.9 million fine for overcharging the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for two products between 2002 and 2011.
By law, drug manufacturers cannot charge the VA more than a maximum level called the Federal Ceiling Price for drugs.
The Justice Department said Monday that Sanofi Pasteur notified the VA that it had incorrectly calculated the price for some medicines from 2007 to 2011, and thereby overcharged the VA.
An investigation by the VA’s Office of Inspector General then determined the overcharges dated back to 2002.
Sanofi Pasteur, based in Swiftwater, Pennsylvania, also agreed not to seek reimbursement for sales where it undercharged the VA.
The government did not identify the products involved.
April 03, 2017 – By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington Posthttp://www.washingtonpost.com/
Accessed 8 April 2017AfricaMassive measles vaccination campaign launches in Guinea
By Associated Press April 7
DAKAR, Senegal — Doctors Without Borders says it is launching a massive measles vaccination campaign with Guinea’s government after at least 14 deaths and more than 3,400 cases were confirmed so far this year.
The aid group said Friday that thousands of people were left unprotected in 2014 and 2015 when the Ebola outbreak swept through the West African nation. Vaccination activities were reduced because of infection risks, and frightened families stayed away from health facilities.
A measles epidemic was declared in February despite a vaccination campaign a year ago…